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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

A Lucky Find...

Hello,

The Camellia blossom is very pretty - I can understand why it is so frequently used by the House of Chanel. Very feminine, very elegant.

One day I want to make the equally elegant little French Jacket (the Chanel jacket that launched a 1000's copy cats and variations, including by home sewers!). I have the Claire Schaeffer "Custom Couture" pattern for Vogue patterns:

Vogue 8804

I have a lot of other patterns that are also suitable, but Claire gives detailed instructions in this pattern.

I have also ordered her book on making cardigan jackets:

I would love to make this jacket in an expensive silk tweed, but I really want a to make a practice jacket first - I've got cut up bits of silk crepe de chine from (scraps from my wedding dress) that can be used for the practice lining. I've also got an uncut piece leftover from my wedding dress for when I make the "real"jacket.

I have been looking for a cheapish fabric to make the test garment (not the muslin) in. And yesterday I hit the jackpot. I was in need of a destress, so wandered into Spotlight for some stash therapy.

And there it was. In the furnishing fabrics. A piece of loosely woven fabric marked linen that would have the open weave of a Linton tweed. I handled it. It did not crease. This couldn't be linen. Other rolls in other colourways said 90% polyester, 10% linen. That felt more like it. It felt nice, and the little bit of linen gives the mostly polyester fabric a good look. It was marked black.

Now, I wondered how I would sew black by hand at night - I do have a good daylight lamp, so I supposed I would manage. Then I thought I would have to use a black thread - I reasoned that could look nice against the white lining, if a bit stark. The stitches would have to be neat and straight!

Yes, it looks black, doesn't it. But when I took my cut piece outside, it looked more brown to me. So I took a photograph, in daylight, with a scrap of black calico:

Yes, it is a very nice smoky brown. Delicious. After my initial shock (Spotlight has dreadful light so you can't see or match colours at all well) - I realised that this colour will be so sophisticated and I will be able to wear it with black basics and with muted blues, lilacs and pinks (summer colours - I am a summer).

The quilting thread can be a dark smoky brown, which will look nice with an ivory lining. And the gold chain would work nicely :)

And I have black braids which will look fantastic against this and tie in with my black basics.

I am thrilled. And the best part was this was marked down to $4.00 per metre (148 wide - or 60 inches).

That is the right price for a test garment :)

Do you have serendipitous finds like this - do you plan something, and then does the right thing just come along? Or do you have to hunt high and low?

18 comments:

Lovely fabric, Sarah Liz. You were lucky! I made my faux Chanel from some Acrylic boucle that I got from Spotties for about $3 a metre. It may not have been truly couture but I was thrilled with the end result and have worn it many times in the last two years. I used Vogue 7975.

I would love to try and make a Chanel type jacket one day. Your fabric is lovely, and will make a very nice wearable muslin. If I am looking for a specific type/style of fabric, it usually takes me a long time to source it!

Love your fabric finds. i really like the smokey brown color versus black.. So pretty and different.. How fun and exciting..When I happen upon the "just right fabric/just right price" I am thrilled.[Do you not hear me shouting all the way from Ms? lol] It doesn't happen very often..but love when it does.Happy sewing.

About Me

Hello, I'm Sarah Liz, and I am attempting to make my own Sew Style wardrobe. It's taking more time than I thought, but one day I will have a Sew Style wardrobe that is just right. And I blog for pleasure and not for profit. Content of sarahlizsewstyle.blogspot.com is copyright, 2013-2017, All Rights Reserved.